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In Florida, 89 wildfires affecting nearly 16,000 acres were burning, according to the Florida Forest Service website. Additionally, the U.S. Forest Service was tracking fires on forest lands in Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Check inciweb.org for the most up to date wildfire information.

On Wednesday the 11th, a magnitude 8.6 earthquake struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, triggering a tsunami watch for the Indian Ocean, which was later canceled. Approximately two hours later a quake measuring magnitude 8.2 occurred off Sumatra’s west coast, the USGS said. A series of smaller quakes off the west coast of northern Sumatra with magnitudes between 5.1 and 5.4 were also reported. Fortunately, there were no reports of destruction or deaths related to those quakes.

The California tremor was initially reported as a 5.3 but was later downgraded; the Oregon quake likewise having been first reported as a 6.2. Neither of these quakes were likely to trigger a tsunami.

As of this writing on 04/12, there have been 6 earthquakes in 2012 with magnitudes measuring 7.0 or greater, the strongest being the aforementioned 8.6 in Indonesia. There have been 109 deaths as a result of quakes so far this year. Around the world, there have been 498 earthquakes measuring 5.0 to 8.6 from January 1st to April 12th, 2012.

Many are quick to mitigate the potentially prophetic significance of the large number of recent quakes and wildfires. But when these events today are combined with high possibility of major war in the Middle East, a steadily-declining free world economy, high unemployment, rising gasoline and food prices, and the steaming pressure cooker of civil unrest as our culture deteriorates and citizens become increasingly distressed, one would be well-advised to be a watcher at the wall.

But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. – Matthew 24:8